The Psychology of Study Success in Universities

Kaarina Maatta, Satu Uusiautti

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781351814676
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Universities around the world are under increasing pressure to maintain high levels of graduation and to make study processes as efficient as possible, with teachers and students struggling to meet the expectations placed upon them as a result. The Psychology of Study Success in Universities asks whether it is possible to meet these demands at the same time as protecting the well-being of students. Drawing on an extensive and detailed analysis of study success in universities in Finland, the authors of this thought-provoking work argue that universities should be more concerned with students' satisfaction and place greater weight on students' perceptions of the elements that enhance or hinder their success.

The book provides a multi-dimensional picture of the student-related and teaching-related factors that promote study success. Giving voice to graduate students, including those enrolled on a PhD, the authors look at the resources that students have at their disposal in order to establish what inspires and motivates the students, what slows them down, and what kinds of experiences students have of successful studies. Määttä and Uusiautti present a wealth of high-quality research showing that good teaching and successful study processes can be secured by immediate and caring interaction, flexible and student-centred teaching and supervision, and interdisciplinary collaboration between teachers.

The Psychology of Study Success in Universities is essential reading for academics, researchers and postgraduate students in the fields of education and psychology, as well as for those interested in positive psychology, student well-being and pedagogical studies.

Part 1

Introduction

1.1 What is this book about?

Finland and the Finnish school system have aroused worldwide interest since Finnish students’ success in international student comparisons (e.g., Programme for International Student Assessment, PISA) (Lavonen & Laaksonen, 2009; Välijärvi, 2014; Välijärvi et al., 2007). One reason behind the success is the Finnish research-based teacher training (e.g., Jakku-Sihvonen & Niemi, 2006) and continuous interest in students’ success and well-being (e.g., Howell, 2009; Salmela & Uusiautti, 2015). Recently, Finnish university education was also noticed in the news when comparing graduates from different countries (OECD, 2016). It turned out that when, for example, comparing graduates’ literacy skills, none of the countries (e.g., Japan and Finland) in the top places made much of an appearance in conventional university rankings (see BBC News, October 20, 2016).

Finland’s education system is based on the idea of equal access to every level of education (e.g., Rinne, Kivirauma, & Simola, 2002). Finnish university education is free for every Finnish student who passes the application tests. Basically, the same success expectations concern university students, too, but at the university level, the changing world has also changed the elements of success because prompt study processes and high levels of graduation have become a lifeline for universities not only in Finland but also across the world. Teachers and students have to struggle between these demands and expectations amongst which high-quality learning and profound studying can even take a backseat (cf., FitzSimmons, 2014). Educators have asked how to have students pass courses quicker and more efficiently while still taking care of their well-being. This book provides research-based answers to these questions.

According to positive psychological understanding, satisfaction and well-being are important factors of efficient graduation and quality outcomes in studies regardless of education level (Langford et al., 2014; Pajares, 2001; Seligman et al., 2009). Therefore, universities should be worried about students’ satisfaction and pay attention to their perceptions of the elements in education that enhance or hinder their study success. These phenomena are discussed in The Psychology of Study Success in Universities. The book provides a multidimensional picture of the student-related factors and teaching that may best enhance study success. The book gives voice to both graduate students and PhD students from Finland and compares findings in the light of international well-being theories and studies on university-level study success.

By ‘success in studies’, we refer to a two-dimensional process that consists of the fluent study process during which students flourish, study in a balanced manner, get support, and show high levels of well-being and of successful study outcomes, that is, good grades, fast graduation, and satisfaction with studies. The theoretical foundation of the book is based on positive psychological theories and research, and thus the book offers quite a wide introduction of international studies in the field. The themes in the book are also discussed from the practical perspective through various student data from Finland. The purpose is to provide an extensive analysis on study success in universities for researchers, teachers, educators, professors, and other academics primarily. This kind of book will be interesting for postgraduate students, too, who are performing their doctoral studies; they are future researchers in the field.

The Psychology of Study Success in Universities focuses first on students and their resources – what inspires them in studies, what slows down their study processes, and what kinds of experiences they have on successful studies. Similarly, success in university studies sets great expectations to university teachers’ and lecturers’ teaching and supervision work. However, teaching in universities is quite concrete, and students’ hopes are very practical as well. Good teaching and successful study processes are secured by immediate and caring interaction, flexible and student-centred teaching and supervision, and interdisciplinary collaboration among teachers. Finally, the book describes study success as a multidimensional concept that covers successful outcomes and a successful study process as well. The latter refers to important well-being elements in the academic community that are frequently put aside when outlining new plans of efficiency.

Although the research data the book is based on have been obtained in Finland, the findings and general discussion are relevant to researchers, teachers, and students everywhere. Study success is important, and the fundamental resources from the positive psychological viewpoint are somewhat universal. However, the book is interesting also because student mobility is greater than ever, and universities get more and more students from, for example, Africa, Asia, India, and South America. These students, too, need information about the nature of university studies in general, including their demandingness and effort. It is important to provide new research-based, innovative ideas of how to be successful – not just in undergraduate but also in doctoral studies.

The book is divided into parts with approximately three chapters. The chapters following the Introduction provide their own perspective on the phenomenon of study success. They are wide and profound explorations into the success factors first from the students’ perspective followed by teaching and teachers’ perspective. The final chapter then illustrates the phenomenon in general.

The Introduction introduces the current productivity expectations of graduations and study processes in universities today. The introductory part also provides a discussion of the book’s distinctive contribution. In addition, it highlights the demands sets on university teaching, also providing the teachers’ viewpoint. Because the purpose of the book is to discuss success in studies, the Introduction also includes the basic definition of positive psychological approach in the book. How is well-being in students and teachers connected with success, and why is it important to discuss them simultaneously? In addition, the Introduction contains introductions of the studies, data, and data analyses on which the book is based.

The second part discusses study success from the student perspective. It answers questions of what successful, fast-graduating masters are made of, how students perceive the smoothness of their study processes, and what kinds of factors may slow down their progress and hinder success in studies. To develop university education, it is crucial to hear students’ voices and know what exactly they appreciate and, on the other hand, would like to develop in university studies. The first chapter highlights the success factors in masters’ studies, and the second chapter complements the discussion with PhD students’ viewpoints. Finally, the third chapter summarises special resources that university students need during their studies to get good grades and maintain their personal well-being.

The third part introduces success in university studies from teachers’ viewpoints. It continues the theme from the Introduction by explaining how the approach of caring teacherhood may enhance both students’ study success and teachers’ well-being. The first chapter discusses the elements of caring teacherhood in general. The second chapter introduces viewpoints to positive teaching as well as caring online teaching practices. After that, the resources of supervision of masters’ and PhD theses by focusing on the description of the nodes and strides of successful supervision are introduced. How to provide critical but encouraging feedback during the supervision process and how to support students with diverging motivation to complete their theses successfully? Among others, these are the questions this part answers. Finally, the last chapter in Part 3 points out the invaluable resource of teachers’ and professors’ collaboration, caring atmosphere, and mutual support that make the cornerstone of a healthy academic community with high levels of well-being – and that reflects on the students’ well-being as well.

The fourth part concludes the book by highlighting the key points that connect success and well-being in university studies. The first chapter explains the meaning of engagement and optimism – how they both are needed to persevere in studies and to reach the valuable achievement of graduation and how their emergence in students can be supported by the university community. The second chapter continues by discussing the meaning of love for learning and how this positive state or attitude to studies can become not only an important success factor but also enhance well-being. The last chapter introduces the concept of study success as a two-dimensional phenomenon. On the one hand, success is about the outcomes – passing courses, high grades, and finally graduation – but on the other hand, and as the earlier parts of the book have shown, it is also about the study process. The final argument is, therefore, that there cannot be true success in studies without a smooth, caring study process in which well-being is appreciated as much as the numeric goals of the student; teachers; and, in the end, the university as well.

1.2 The expectation of success and prompt graduation

Today, efficiency requirements and productivity expectations have a great influence on studies in colleges and universities. More and more doctors are graduating, and basic degrees, such as master’s degrees, should be performed faster. Universities are expected to take action to enhance fast graduation (Carter & House II, 2010; Ensigna, 2010). Apparently, the governments would like to see the youth applying for studies fast, making their decisions about study places quickly, and performing their studies promptly and thus entering the work market as young as possible (Pennington, 2004).

On the other hand, requirements of more and more efficient use of teaching resources and large study groups can make university studies more difficult (Kokkelenberg, Dillon, & Christy, 2008). Resources should be secured and calculated so that students can design their own individualized study plans. Or is the number of students the deciding factor (Bedard & Kuhn, 2008)?

How can the smoothness of university studies be enhanced from the students’ point of view? University teachers and curricula have an important role in this process but, eventually, the demands are targeted at students themselves. They should be able to finish their studies quickly yet with high scores.

Universities do have various programs to support students’ progress (Glocker, 2011; Groen, Jakubson, Ehrenberg, Condie, & Liu, 2008; Nutting, 2014). The efficiency of these programs has also been evaluated in studies (Ward & Vargas, 2011). Indeed, more attention has been paid to, for example, student tutoring (Elbaum, Vaughn, Tejero Hughes, & Watson Moody, 2000; Graesser, Chipman, Haynes, & Olney, 2005; Määttä, 2012, 2015). Although university lecturers’ and professors’ work focuses on research, from the students’ perspective, quality teaching that is based on research is fundamental to the success of their study paths (Parker, 2008). Likewise, teachers learn, too, constantly when teaching and lecturing and supporting students’ studies (Gibbs & Coffey, 2004). Actually, teachers may have the determining role in the smoothness of university studies (Bambrick-Santoya, 2014; Bell & Robinson, 2004; Lee & Cho, 2014; Uusiautti & Määttä, 2013a).

Numerous studies have outlined the features of teaching that enhance the smoothness of students’ studies the best (DePillis & Johnson, 2015; Uusiautti & Määttä, 2013b; Äärelä, Määttä, & Uusiautti, 2016). Research has focused on, for example, the importance of a positive study atmosphere (Shahidi & Sobhani, 2015), the level of face-to-face teaching (Symonds, 2014), the supervision of master’s theses (Chongyi, 2004), the significance of the first study year (Keup & Barefoot, 2005; Schellenberg & Bailis, 2015), and the level of interaction between the teaching personnel and students (Bowman & Akcaoglu, 2014; Määttä, 2015). Study evaluation practices are also important and can promote learning and increase motivation if evaluations are constructive (González, Jareño, & López, 2015).

Furthermore, peer evaluations and peer support can enhance studies (e.g., Hamer, Purchase, Luxton-Reilly, & Denny, 2015; Ludemann & McMakin, 2014; Wierstra, Kanselaar, Van Der Linden, & Lodeewijks, 1999; Topping, 1998) when we realize that the criticism and evaluations do not have to be crippling (Woodward-Kron, 2002). Writing skills development is crucial for study success (Butler & Britt, 2011; Cho, Schunn, & Charney, 2006; Määttä, 2012). Naturally, multiform teaching and digitalization have provided new means to make studying even more efficient (e.g., Blocher, De Montes, Willis, & Tucker, 2002; Gillani & Eynon, 2014; Hannan, 2005; Howland & Wedman, 2004; Ramos et al., 2015). In all, it is important to make teaching more varied and multiform (Cheng, 2011).

Often, students are expected to perform more and better, which means that the idea of good learning can be shadowed by criticism (Stellmack, Keenan, Sandidge, Sippl, & Konheim-Kalkstein, 2012). Students’ motivation becomes tested (Reiss, 2012), which can result in their dropping out of education (Cortes, Mostert, & Els, 2014; Stratton, O’Toole, & Wetzel,...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• List of Figures
• Foreword
• Contributors
• Acknowledgements
• Part 1 Introduction
• Part 2 Successful university students
• Part 3 Successful university teachers and teaching
• Part 4 The importance and essence of study success
• Index